Returning to Sound Policy and Restoring Internet Freedom

Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to begin the process of revisiting whether internet access services should be classified as “information services” or “telecommunications services” as defined by the Telecom Act. From its inception, and throughout Republican and Democratic Administrations, internet access was treated as an information service. It was this light touch approach to regulation that propelled the phenomenal growth of the internet, innovative services for consumers and the widespread deployment of broadband facilities. It was only in 2015, in response to political pressures, that the previous FCC reclassified internet access as a telecom service, abandoning this unquestionably successful policy approach in favor of public utility laws written for monopoly telephone companies in the 1930s.

When the 2015 reclassification Order was adopted, Chairman (then Commissioner) Pai and Commissioner O’Rielly objected vigorously on both legal and policy grounds. Putting that kind of straight jacket on internet providers served no beneficial purpose, addressed no harm and, predictably, suppressed investment. American consumers will be better served by a return to the light touch regulatory regime that garnered bi-partisan support for decades and fostered infrastructure deployment, innovation, freedom and entrepreneurship.

We look forward to engaging in the complex discussions teed up in this proceeding, as the questions raised here are so important to consumers and the economy. But, in the end, significant policy judgments are the province of Congress. Administrative agencies can act only on the authority they are granted to implement Congressional mandates. In 2015, a 3-2 majority of the FCC departed from decades of precedent to reclassify internet access. Now, a split FCC has begun the process of reversing that decision. Perhaps the only path to a clear and durable regulatory framework for internet access is through Congress.

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Consumer protections are necessary in a world where corporations purchase politicians. The corporations that support eliminating consumer protections have expressed interest limiting speed for individual consumers while creating a more vibrant and powerful broadband system for corporations and the wealthy. The current FCC Chairman was an attorney for Verizon, a corporation fighting against consumer protections for the sole purpose of increasing it’s profits. Internet infrastructure and performance have continued to increase since the new regulations. There is no evidence that the consumer protections created in 2015 has incurred any cost on the industry. There is plenty of evidence that corporations that bribe congress and senators to eliminate consumer protections use that advantage to reduce competition, increase costs to the consumer, and inevitably reduce the quality of the product. ATT’s position on Net Neutrality will determine how long I continue to be their customer.

Is that why internet access in the U.S. is so terribly compared to every other developed country? Seems like a “light touch” approach has lead to nothing but exceedingly high prices, poor service, and limited accessibility.

Seeing AT&T cozy up to Trump cronies like Chairman Pai just makes AT&T look even worse. But I guess AT&T has always been anti-consumer.

It’s amazing how much of the rhetoric you hear in the media on this topic is based on fear mongering, half truths or outright falsehoods that are propagated by entities that stand to gain from the disinformation they are spreading. If people really stopped and thought about it, a rationale set of rules, backed by law that encourages investment in our nations broadband infrastructure is what our country needs.